YOSHIO JOGAN
Concept Creator / Designer / Researcher of Japanese Traditional Design
President & CEO, Kyoto Design Factory Co., Ltd.
Yoshio Jogan is a designer, concept creator, and researcher specializing in Japanese traditional design and culture.
For more than five decades, he has worked in Japanese design, especially in the fields
of kimono and traditional patterns.
His work includes kimono design, product development, hand-painted fusuma paintings, ceiling paintings, spatial art, and art direction.
He also advises companies in traditional industries, helping them develop products, strengthen their brands, and reinterpret Japanese aesthetics for contemporary life.
As a researcher of Japanese dress and traditional culture, he is dedicated to sharing the beauty, philosophy, and creative wisdom of
Japanese tradition with future generations and audiences around the world.
Career
1974
Graduated from Wakayama Prefectural Wakayama Technical High School, Department of Industrial Arts.
Joined Murao Textile Design Laboratory and became a disciple of textile designer Nobutatsu Murao.
1975
Studied under Japanese ink painter Hosei Konishi.
1980
Participated in the establishment of the kimono design group Gamon-so.
1983
Established the Yoshio Jogan Design Studio.
1989
Began developing original kimono under the Yoshio Jogan brand through Sagami Co., Ltd.
Over the following 17 years, he designed numerous kimono and met directly with approximately 6,000 customers.
These experiences helped shape his approach to kimono design and product development.
This period became the foundation of his philosophy of balancing enduring value with the needs and sensibilities of the present day.
2001
Established Kyoto Design Factory Co., Ltd.
2020
Relocated his base to Sakamoto, Otsu, Shiga Prefecture.
Selected Highlights
2016
Designed doors for a columbarium at Zenkoji Temple in Nagano Prefecture.
2018
A metal smartphone case designed by Jogan was selected for permanent preservation by a national museum in Wales,
United Kingdom.
2019
Invited as a lecturer to a Giorgio Armani Beauty event.
Designed four photo spots for Kyoto Station Building.
Appeared on television as a commentator on traditional Japanese patterns.
2020
Invited by Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, to give lectures and workshops on traditional Japanese design.
2021
Donated a cherry blossom painting to Zenkoji Temple in Nagano.
2022
Appeared on NHK’s television program Bi no Tsubo.
Invited to give a lecture for Shinto priests at Nishinomiya Shrine.
2023
Gave a lecture for approximately 350 Shinto priests at the invitation of the Kansai Association of Shinto Shrines.
Designed the temple gate of Ankokin Temple in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture.
Hand-painted folding fans featuring pine and plum blossoms for a stage performance by kyogen master Mansai Nomura.
2026
Published The Story of Traditional Design: Understanding Japanese Aesthetic Sensibility.
Today
Today, Jogan continues to work in design, product development, spatial art, consulting, and cultural research.
His aim is not simply to preserve tradition, but to reinterpret it in ways that remain meaningful, beautiful, and relevant to contemporary society.
Through his work, he seeks to bring the spirit of Japanese traditional design into modern life and share its value with the world.
